Alpha, Beta, Gamma, Delta
by Diabolical Pink Bunny
Summary: They are all back together again, but that does not mean it will be happily ever after... Some enemies just won't quit.
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer**: I do not own Star Trek: Voyager or any of the characters therein; I just really really _really_ wish I had been on board...

**Notes: ** _The Legend_ was born out of a desire (among other things) to right certain wrongs. There were basically two things I needed done in _Star Trek Voyager_: the first was to get everybody back together. Getting to the Alpha quadrant and then letting Janeway get away was a BAD IDEA! And then of course there was what I call the 'Star Trek Captain's Curse.' Basically: if you are the captain of a Starfleet ship, you are going to end up miserable and alone. Look at Kirk (he had lots of girls, but like James Bond they only lasted one episode). And Picard. Even Sisko – he was a widower when the series started, and turning into a prophet-wormhole-thingamagig was _not_ an escape from the STCC. And now that they are all together it is time for a new adventure.

**Chapter 1**

"_We're explorers from another galaxy..."_

The mission had not been that successful and further negotiations would still be needed for years to come, but this had not daunted Reg Barclay. The man seemed obsessed with organising a party either for _Voyager_ or on _Voyager_, and they all had finally agreed to a small party on the ship just to keep him out of their hair for a while.

Unfortunately this also meant they would have to attend the party; something Janeway was not too eager about.

That was the reason why she was dressed in her uncomfortable dress-uniform and slowly sipping expensive yet bad-tasting champagne. For the moment she stood alone. She used the time to consider the people gathered in the mess hall. It was still the same mess hall that Neelix had created. She considered that. She honestly missed Neelix. The first thing Starfleet Command had told her – besides welcome back – after she and Chakotay had been rescued from the 'Lost Ones'' planet, had been to report to Neelix. Since their return from the Delta quadrant they had finally perfected the communication between the quadrants, and Neelix could contact them at any time. It seemed he had been a bit persistent in his communications ever since he had discovered she and Chakotay had been lost.

Neelix might not be the same rational counsellor Tuvok was, but he had been valuable in his own right. And he was a friend.

She slowly turned around. Near the door stood Libby, Harry's pretty wife. Harry had been the unfortunate officer to draw the bridge-duty, yet his young wife seemed unconcerned. They all had felt like they knew her from the start as Harry had always been talking about her. And in return Libby had taken to the _Voyager_ crew as if she, too, had known them for years. She was now happily chatting with Ensign Chadwick and obviously charming the younger man.

Next she noticed the Doctor – still unnamed – trying to chat with one of the neatly-dressed dignitaries. The poor Doctor. She knew Admiral Crewaw, and the woman was one of the most stuck-up people she had ever met. She and Crewaw had often been at odds these past two years.

Tuvok stood by himself in one corner. She knew how he disliked these functions, but as Commander he had little choice – he had to attend. When he saw her looking in his direction he slowly left his corner and started to make his way over to her.

A happy laugh rose above the general chatter and she turned to look at the source. It was B'Elanna, laughing at something another person dressed in gold had said. She did not recognise the other man, but she doubted if Tom found him as funny as his wife did. By the look of it the joke had been scientific, for the pilot only grinned that formal grin of his. It was noticeable how close to his wife he stood. Libby had brought their daughter, Miral, with her, but the girl had been put to bed about an hour ago. The little girl had had the whole room at her feet with her bubbly laughter. Janeway sometimes almost felt sorry for the cocky pilot with the two determined women in his life.

"A bar of gold-pressed latinum for your thoughts," a familiar voice interrupted her thoughts. She turned to Chakotay, noticing he had a glass of champagne, similar to her own, in his hand. He saw her looking at it and grinned. "The drink certainly leaves something to be desired," he told her. "So, what were you smiling about?"

She slightly leaned in his direction. "Not a bar of latinum's worth. But I was thinking about Tom and B'Elanna." She smiled. "Actually is was feeling a little sorry for Tom. He has his hands full with both B'Elanna and Miral."

"I doubt if Tom sees it that way," he smiled. "He seems to be constantly astonished by his good fortune."

She considered that for a moment before answering. "You know, I do believe you're right."

They both smiled, but then a cool, calm voice interrupted.

"Mister Paris truly is fortunate to have found a mate as compatible as Lieutenant Torres." They both turned to look at the tall, dark Vulcan. Tuvok had been her friend for more than fourteen years now and she still valued his advice. He was the rational voice in her life and her strong moral beacon. And sometimes he was the one that reminded her of the line drawn between her and the crew – the line between subordinates and friends.

That line had blurred all too often in the seven Delta quadrant years. Perhaps that was why she felt uncomfortable around the extremely formal structure of Starfleet these days. And if that was true then it would explain why more than eighty percent of those who had returned with _Voyager_ from the Delta quadrant had chosen to be reassigned to the ship after it had been recomissioned. If the crew felt the same way as she did, it meant they would never really be able to return to the past. She knew she had been unalterably changed and now only felt truly at home surrounded by those who understood the slight and unique shift in boundaries that had occurred on _Voyager_. Even Tuvok felt it.

"Yes," she gently replied, "they had been very fortunate." She glanced at Tom and B'Elanna's group. The pilot still looked bored.

"And I suppose our own relationship had come as a surprise to you, Tuvok," Chakotay said. She sighed inwardly: Chakotay and Tuvok might not be at odds anymore, but they still did not understand one another.

"May I remind you, Captain, that as a Vulcan, I am seldom surprised." The Vulcan switched over into full-lecture mode, his hands neatly tucked behind his back. "Besides, I have been aware of the crew discussing your relationship for many years now. Even when you had only been friend the crew found reason to discuss your relationship in more romantic terms." He looked Chakotay in the eye and she knew she was not really going to like his next remark. "So, no, Captain. Your relationship did not come as a surprise to me."

Or to anyone, it seemed. She thought about that. Was she and Chakotay the only ones who _had_ been surprised? Curious – as Tuvok would say.

It seemed as if Chakotay and Tuvok were ready for the next round and she decided to head off the conversation she saw brewing. Yet just then her com-badge beeped and she heard Harry addressing them.

_Bridge to the Captain, Admiral Janeway and Tuvok,_ the Lieutenant said.

Chakotay answered: "Yes, Harry?"

_Captain, you're not going to believe this. You and the Admiral and Tuvok had better get up here as quickly as you can. I'd suggest transporting._

The three of them instantly tensed – site-to-site transportation was hardly ever used. But while they were still considering this, the ship went into red-alert.

She took as step back while turning to Chakotay, waiting for him to take the lead. She had promised herself she would not interfere with him – well, not too much.

But he was already taking command:

"Chakotay to transporter room one: beam Janeway, Tuvok and me directly to the bridge!"

The reply came even as the world was beginning to fade. She had the unbearable urge to blink, but she seemed frozen. Then the world focussed. Between one moment and the next the room had changed and they were no longer in the mess-hall, but on the bridge.

"Report!" she barked. Instantly she regretted it, but she had long ago learned not to show any weakness in moments like these. She turned from Harry to look at the incredible scene on the view-screen.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

"_But we had no idea that our technology would be so destructive to their atmosphere..."_

Few things in life really grabbed one's attention. As the commander of _Voyager_ and later the ship's captain, Chakotay had to admit he has had his fair share of noteworthy and memorable moments. A number of occasions would inevitably come to mind: the Kazon youth he had been stranded with on a planet, the time Seska had dumped the whole crew on a planet, the...

It suddenly occurred to him that he had spent quite a number of times trapped or stranded on planets. Including twice with Kathryn.

But now was not the time, especially as the view on the screen was one that really jumped at you and demanded attention. The signal was from the aft visual sensors. The screen was framed by the nacelles and the shuttle landing strip.

Yet that was not what had caught his attention – and by the feel of it, everyone else's attention as well. Bisecting the pure black of space was a blinding white wave; rapidly approaching. To one side the _Daedalus_ was still unaware. And no wonder: the _Daedalus_ was the small Nova-class ship that had been commissioned to transport the dignitaries to _Voyager_. Though the smaller ship was luxurious, it was not really a ship built for either speed or battle. It was a fancy troop-carrier and Chakotay knew the captain: Emily Ellrose. She was not really suited to be captain of a vessel and she knew it. She was abrasive and sloppy and he was not overly fond of her. She also acted superior to him; always holding it against him that he had left Starfleet and joined the Maquis.

While the image might have been all too familiar – and therefore frightening – it was Harry's next words that really grabbed those on the bridge by the throat and demanded attention:

"It is a massive displacement wave, Captain," the young lieutenant said. "I can give you the details, but except for a slight phase variance the beam is identical to the coherent Tetrion beam that the Caretaker had used."

He saw Kathryn stiffen to his right, obviously anxious to take the lead but always aware this was now his command. He had once asked her if she would have served under him, but she had refused to answer. These past few weeks they had finally tested that situation and found it difficult. She was after all not under his command, but she had some difficulty letting go of her control. He knew she trusted him and Tuvok, but old habits die hard.

"Harry, tell Captain Ellrose to get her ship out of here." He looked over at the con and was surprised to see Tom at the controls. The blonde man smiled stiffly.

"I heard there was trouble," he explained. "So I took the liberty to beam here just after you did."

Chakotay nodded. "Get us out of here, Lieutenant," he told the man. Paris was already on it. The pilot's fingers flew over the controls and he heard the faint hum as the warp engines came on-line. Yet only seconds later the hum died.

"Captain," Tom reported, "we can't go to warp. The Tetrion beam is emitting some kind of distortion that keeps the warp-bubble from forming."

Kim had an explanation; it always amazed Chakotay how smart the man was.

"The phase variance. It might be that the variance is not part of the wave, but something running in front of it."

"To what end?" Janeway asked, unable to keep quiet anymore.

"I have no idea, Admiral." The young man frowned. "But the wave will hit us in twenty seconds."

Chakotay decided it was time for action. They already knew impulse power wasn't enough to run from the wave, but it might give them an extra few seconds to act.

"Paris, full impulse power!"

The man nodded – he still had some trouble with propper protocol.

"Aye-aye, Captain. I'm already on it."

On the screen the Tetrion beam engulfed the smaller Nova-class ship. Harry warned them that the wave was now only fifteen seconds away. Time was running out.

"Tom, see if you can get us above the wave," he calmly told Paris. The worse the situation, the calmer a leader had to be, he kept reminding himself.

"I can't Captain. It is just too massive," Tom told them in a tight voice.

"Seven seconds, Captain." Harry informed them in a voice as tight as Tom's.

"Chakotay to Engineering, we need more power."

_We're already at hundred and fifty percent, Captain!_ B'Elanna's voice came over the com. He wasn't surprised at all that she was already down there, taking command of her engine-room.

"Five seconds," Harry interrupted.

Time was up and so were their options. In all this time they had never really given much thought to the Tetrion beam and how to counteract it, as the Caretaker's Array had been destroyed. It seems they had been too complacent.

"All hands, brace for impact," he addressed the whole ship. He wondered how to adequately warn them. "It seems as if the Caretaker is back," he decided. For those who had experienced this before – and that would be most of the crew – it would be sufficient warning of the destructive power of the beam as they pass through it. He hoped the rest would also be aware of the danger the wave presented.

He flung himself into the padded chair behind him. Tuvok and Janeway were already seated and he saw the Vulcan's hand whiten as he held on to the armrest. His own hold was as tight as the Vulcan's. Then he felt Kathryn's small hand brush his. Without taking his eyes from the view-screen he took her hand and together they awaited their fate.

Like before, the wave hit the ship with a fierce violence. He wondered if it was the force of the wave that was so strong, or the distance they had been flung that shook them so hard.

Everything went bright white; and then it was over.

Overhead a conduit bled blue coolant and steam escaped from somewhere. The jolt had flung Janeway from her seat, but she was already getting up from the deck. Tom was crawling back into his seat.

Behind him he heard Harry's shaken voice:

"Captain, according to the astronomical reading..." Perhaps Harry thought if he left the data unspoken it would remain abstract: not the truth. Then he took a deep breath and finished: "We're back in the Delta quadrant."

Chakotay nodded once. He looked over at Tuvok. It was then that he realised the strong Vulcan was slumped in his seat. He suddenly remembered that the wave had had this effect on his last time: the chemistry of Vulcan blood was much different than anyone else's on the ship. The Tetrion wave had knocked him out last time as well.

"Chakotay to Engineering."

_Engineering here, Captain_. It was B'Elanna. She sounded angry – very angry.

"What is the status of our engines?"

_Both warp-drive and impulse power are off-line, but it would be up and running in a minute, Captain_. B'Elanna took her engines very seriously.

"Affirmative," he replied. Then he thought of something. "B'Elanna? Get someone to help Vorik to the sick-bay. Vulcan physiology doesn't take too well to the Tetrion displacement."

_Aye, Captain. Newman and Orpal are already on it._

"Uh, Captain?" a voice interrupted.

"Yes, Harry?" He turned around to see the young man frowning.

"Captain, we're not alone out here."


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

"_Two of us were chosen to stay behind and care for them."_

Harry looked at the information in front of him, silently waiting for the inevitable question. He could have just blurted out the information, but he had found that there was a certain rhythm to the sharing of information on the bridge.

But his thoughts were torn between the information on the screens and the implications thereof regarding the news Libby had given him just this morning. He wished he could be with her now, but he knew the best thing he could do for them now was to stay at his post and to give his best.

"What is it, Harry?" Janeway asked.

"Admiral, the _Daedalus _is drifting off our port bow," he began. "But you might want to take a look at this." He manipulated a control and the view on the front screen changed to that of a peculiar array hanging in space. It resembled a flower, opened at its prime.

It was extremely familiar.

"The Caretaker's array," Janeway breathed.

"But we destroyed it," Chakotay frowned. He looked at Kim. Harry glanced at the information on the panel before giving the explanation everyone wanted from him.

"It's not the Caretaker's array, but the female entity's array. _Voyager_ instantly recognized it. This is Suspiria's array." Harry heaved a big sigh, glad that was done.

The bridge was quiet as everyone tried to make sense of the information. Suspiria was one of two sporocystian life-forms that had come from another galaxy. Their technology had destroyed the atmosphere of the Ocampa homeworld and these two entities had been chosen to stay behind and take care of the Ocampa. But the female had gone her own way while taking some of the Ocampa with her. It had been the male that had initially brought them to the Delta quadrant in an attempt to procreate.

When he had died Janeway had made the decision to destroy the Caretaker's array, an act that had stranded them in the Delta quadrant. But the female had thought they had killed the Caretaker and had tried to destroy _Voyager_.

"Why would the female have brought us here?" Tom now wondered. Though Suspiria had tried to destroy them, they had explained to her what had happened and she had left them in peace ever since.

"Perhaps she, too, is dying?" Harry wondered. Although, he thought to himself, they had no proof it had been she who had brought them here. Perhaps the Ocampa themselves had triggered or activated the Tetrion beam.

"No," Janeway said in that way that signalled she was thinking. "She did not strike me as the kind that would do something like this." She turned to look at Harry and he mentally sighed. Somehow it always fell on him to find the answers. "Harry," she inevitably asked him. "Can you detect the female Caretaker on the array?"

Silently he berated himself for not thinking of that earlier, but quickly he scanned the array. The information he received was a bit garbled, but it was obvious something was wrong on the array.

"Cap...Admiral, I read sporocystian life-signs on the array, as well as numerous Ocampa life-signs. But the Ocampa life-sings are weak," he tried to explain. "The Ocampa are either in a coma or dying."

Janeway nodded. She seemed to be considering something, and suddenly Kim wished Tuvok was back on the bridge. The Vulcan had the most amazing ability to solve riddles.

"See if you can raise the array," Chakotay ordered. Harry nodded even though he knew nobody was looking at him. All attention was focussed on the view-screen. After a minute he had to report that nobody was answering his hails.

Before any further action could be decided on, the doors to the turbo-lift slid open to reveal Admirals Crewaw and Foxworth. The two dignitaries looked a bit rumpled, but extremely agitated.

"What's going on here?" Crewaw demanded. Harry wished he could meld into the floor, but years of experience had taught him well. So instead of cringing he stood even straighter and looked in front. From the corner of his eye he saw Janeway smile at him. Suddenly he, too, wanted to smile. Crewaw was messing with the wrong person, and whatever followed now would be interesting.

Janeway did not disappoint him. "Admiral Crewaw, I am delighted to see you have not suffered any injuries from the violence of the displacement wave," she coolly told the puffy woman. Harry knew Crewaw was the same age as _Voyager_'s own admiral, but whereas Janeway was still as neat and petite as the first time he had seen her, the other admiral had let herself go.

"What displacement wave?" Foxworth wanted to know. The man was tall and thin, with gray hair and a long, sloping face.

"We were hit by a coherent Tetrion wave," Janeway explained. "It seems both _Voyager _ and the _Daedalus_ has been dragged into the Delta quadrant."

"What?" the fat woman asked. Harry had to suppress a grin. "Are you sure?"

"The array you see on the view-screen is one we have encountered before," Chakotay answered. Harry wondered if Chakotay was being gallant or if he was as irritated with the brass as the rest of them were. At the moment Tom was industriously working at the con.

Just when it seemed as if things could not get more complicated, the turbo-lift doors opened and Barclay stepped onto the bridge.

"I'm so sorry," the man began. "I had no idea this was going to happen!"

"Yeah, neither did we," Tom drawled. Kim smiled. Reg Barclay was worse than Neelix. In all honesty, Kim liked Neelix, but he was still not sure one _could_ like Reg. Harry knew Deanna Troy liked the man, but she was not on board. His thoughts suddenly made him blush. As a teen he had a slight crush on the counsellor.

While Chakotay and Janeway stepped in and tried to calm Reg and the dignitaries down, a slight beep on his consol drew his attention. Another ship was fast approaching. And the worst part was that he knew the ship.

"Captain!" he said as loud as he could. As he knew he would Chakotay heard him above the rising din on the bridge.

"What is it, Mister Kim?" the Captain asked. By now Crewaw, Foxworth and Reg were in a discussion of their own. Janeway had decided to join Chakotay at his station and both were now peering over his shoulder at the blip on his screen.

"It's Kazon," Harry told them. "And in fact, the ship is that of the Kazon-Nistrim."

"It is almost like a reunion out there," Chakotay remarked.

"Let's just hope Maje Culluh does not hold grudges," Janeway answered, referring to the leader of the Kazon-Nistrim. The Maje had stranded them on a planet years ago – with the help of Seska, a Cardassian infiltrator. Seska had died in the ensuing battle, but Culluh had escaped with his new-born son. If the captain on the Kazon ship was indeed Culluh, then they were in for a bad day.


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

"_There is another like you here?"_

Nobody on board _Voyager_ understood how difficult it was to be a hologram in this world – a sentient hologram. Those little programs in the holodecks didn't count. But every day the Doctor found himself faced with the challenge of proving he is alive.

Fortunately Starfleet had granted him a new nurse – although why they had decided the nurse should be a Betazoid was beyond him. Yes, the humanoid was good at his job, but wouldn't a hologram have been better? Then they could have stayed up as long as they wanted to complete their work – something a human was unable to do.

And now his sickbay was filled with Vulcans to boot. Life just wasn't fair. Everyone knew Vulcans made the absolute worst patients. The people who had brought in the patient – and so activated his program – had said the ship had been caught in a coherent Tetrion beam. Really! They only coherent Tetrion beam in the galaxy had been destroyed nine years ago!

"Would you please lay still, Mister Vorik," he said as he physically shoved the Vulcan back onto the bio-bed. Fortunately Tuvok was Ensign Sutor's (yes, the unfortunate Lon Sutor's much younger brother) problem. The other Vulcan, a young woman named T'Para, was still unconscious.

"As a Vulcan, I hardly need the amount of rest you prescribe," Vorik said in that calm, rational Vulcan voice. It was enough to make the Doctor roll his eyes at.

"Yes, Mister Vorik, I am aware of your magical healing abilities," he sneered as he once more pushed the reluctant patient onto the bio-bed. "But you have a ten centimeter gash on your torso from the fall." For the third time in less than a minute he pushed the Vulcan onto the sickbed. "The sooner I heal the wound, the sooner you can get up."

The Vulcan finally relented and the Doctor sighed. "As you wish," Vorik said. The Doctor nearly snarled at him, but with his superior intellect and self-control he managed to keep the emotion at bay. Perhaps he should spend a little less time with B'Elanna: her bad habits were rubbing off on him.

Well, not that she snarled at people that often anymore. The baby had really calmed her down.

The moment the three Vulcans left the sickbay, the doctor decided he needed to know what could have brought three of the strongest humanoids in the Alpha quadrant to their knees. So while Sutor sterilized the bio-beds the Doctor went into his little office and activated the com.

"This is the Doctor to the Captain," he opened the hail.

_We're a little busy up here_, the voice of young Lieutenant Kim answered. Great, if they had Harry on com-duty it meant they were busy with something important and had failed to notify him.

"Can somebody please explain to me why I had just treated three Vulcans for hyper-plasmic shock?" he demanded in his most polite voice. Hyper-plasmic shock was usually caused by severe stress on the body. The human physiology coped better with certain stresses than did the copper-based blood of the Vulcans.

_It probably has something to do with the Tetrion beam we encountered earlier_ Kim answered. The Doctor snapped. Sometimes self-control was overrated.

"Really? And might we be back in the Delta quadrant as well, Mister Kim?" he sarcastically asked. He often wished they had not severed his link with the on-board communications.

_If you don't believe me,_ the young man shortly replied,_ you might like to ask the Kazon cruiser heading this way. Kim out._ And the link was severed.

"Kazon!" he gasped. Would Kim play such a juvenile trick on him as to lie about something like that? No, Harry Kim would not stoop to such infantile behaviour. If it had been Tom Paris, then perhaps he would have believed it to be a joke.

That only left two possibilities: either Kim had made a mistake, or they were indeed back in the Delta quadrant.

The doctor sat back in his seat. Then he carefully leaned forward to look at Ensign Sutor. He sighed as he leaned back: at least this time around he had a nurse to assist him!

Ah, but then again, Reg Barclay was probably still on board. That made up for any other fortune luck had granted him. The man was constantly in here, dreaming he suffered from a rare disease. Why anyone had thought Barclay would survive in space was beyond him.

His ruminations finally came to an end. Then he heaved another sigh and got up. If they were indeed in the Delta quadrant – and if there really was a Kazon cruiser headed this way – then he and young Sutor had a lot to do in preparation. The Kazon usually left great big holes in the ship and the people in it, and it was his job to sew the people back together.

Perhaps this time he would get to see the parts of the delta quadrant he had missed the first time around when he had still been ship-bound. On his way past he stroked the container with his mobile-emitter. The wonder of the twenty-ninth century, he smiled. Perhaps he will see it one day.

The Doctor hummed softly as he and Sutor went to work, preparing the sickbay for another long haul far from any outside help.


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

"_Not anymore..."_

Janeway smiled as she watched the reaction of the dignitaries gathered on the bridge as Harry relayed the image of the Kazon cruiser to the front view-screen. It was not difficult to recognize the immense ship as a threat. Slowly everyone fell silent as they watched the ship approaching.

The silence built until it was deafening. Quickly she glanced at Harry and saw he was as amused as she was. A glance at Chakotay confirmed that he too was amused.

But it was amusement tinged by wariness.

Just then the Doctor's agitated voice broke the silence, and Chakotay motioned for Kim to handle it. Harry rolled his eyes but did as his Captain wanted.

"We're a little busy up here," the young man began, leaving Janeway and Chakotay to deal with the immanent threat of the Kazon.

"Red alert!" Chakotay activated the ship-wide alert. Immediately the lights dimmed and Janeway knew that every crewmember on duty would resume their posts. _Voyager_ was now ready for whatever lay ahead.

The same moment that Harry broke the connection with the Doctor, the turbo-lift doors slid open and Tuvok walked in. He did not even look pale after his stunt in the sickbay. With silent efficiency he stepped up to the Tactical-station on the starboard side aft on the bridge. The young Ensign, that had been on duty there, quickly left to find something else to do. Everyone knew Tuvok was still the best tactical officer on board.

"May I suggest you take a seat," she informed the dignitaries and Reg. Neither one of the Admirals had been in command of starships in their careers. Both had risen in rank through the system on Earth. Now both of them – as well as Reg Barclay – seemed out of their depth. Silently the three of them sat down, only leaving Chakotay's seat unoccupied. Wryly she grinned.

A soft beep informed the bridge of an incoming transmission. Harry activated the com and the all-too-familiar face of Maje Culluh appeared on the view-screen.

"So," he snarled, "this is who we were asked to meet." He turned his head slightly in Chakotay's direction. "I see you still haven't gotten rid of the female on the bridge," he told the Captain.

"Maje Culluh," Chakotay said, unwilling to rise to the bait. Personally Janeway thought Chakotay had always been too polite to the Kazon, but then again, it did seem to infuriate the alien. "You were sent here to meet us?" he now asked.

The ugly alien bared his teeth. "It seems you have made a number of enemies, Commander."

"Captain, they are powering up weapons," Harry softly informed them.

"Understood, Lieutenant," Chakotay answered. The exchange did not go unnoticed by the Maje.

"So, you have been promoted," he addressed the Captain. He looked at Janeway. "So what are you still doing here?" he challenged her.

"I do not need to explain myself to you," she told him. She leaned forward against the railing. "Our fight is no longer with you, Culluh. Power down your weapons. There need not be a fight here today."

The Kazon sneered once more. "My fight will be with you as long as I live!" The screen went blank and they knew the time for talk is past.

The Kazon opened fire and _Voyager _shook under the impact of it.

"Shields holding at ninety percent," the familiar, calm voice of Tuvok informed them. Somewhere behind her she was aware Reg was once more apologising to the Admirals. Idly she wondered why he did not seem to include her in his apologies.

Another jolt shook the ship and Tuvok informed them that the shield power had dropped by another ten percent.

"Return fire, Mister Tuvok," Chakotay told him. "Mister Paris, evasive pattern Delta-Four."

Immediately Tom ducked the ship to port and started a pattern that would bring them up under the Kazon cruiser. If they were lucky they might inflict some damage on the immense ship. Tuvok rapidly fired the phasers, hitting anything that seemed important. Knowing Tuvok, the seemingly random hits would inflict the maximum damage.

Everyone was focussed on the fight. The ship shook and Janeway had to cling to the railing to keep her balance. From the corner of her eye she saw Foxworth nearly toppling out of the seat she now customarily occupied.

"Kathryn," a soft voice suddenly startled her. Chakotay had made his way to her and now stood to her right, also holding on to the railing. "We need to find out what is happening on that array."

She wasted no time but only nodded. Her mind was already racing, going through her options. As Captain she had seldom been on away-missions, but one never really forgot the protocol. She was also the one the most familiar with the sporocystian technology – she and Tuvok.

"You can't win against the cruiser," she told Chakotay, but he understood the unspoken question.

"We will lead them away the moment you've beamed over to the array." He must have seen the slight worry she could not contain. "Don't worry, I won't even sacrifice the _Daedalus_," he tightly smiled. She nodded.

"Tuvok," she turned to the Commander, "you're with me." A slight tap to the com-badge activated it. "Ensign Sutor, meet us in transporter-room three," she informed the nurse and field-medic. The ship was going to need its doctor, but she was going to need someone as well if Harry was correct about the state of the Ocampa on the array.

As the turbo-lift doors was sliding shut behind her and Tuvok, she heard Chakotay open communications to the _Daedalus_. She only hoped Captain Ellrose was willing to let _Voyager_ take the lead. She knew Ellrose, and the woman wasn't fit to be in charge of anything.

She and Tuvok exited the turbo-lift. A young crewman handed them the utility belts equipped with tricorder and phaser. The security detail had been well trained.

Moments later they stepped onto the transported platform. Sutor had arrived the same time they had, med-kit in hand. He, too, wore the same belt they did.

The Ensign on transporter duty checked a final time to make sure the air was breathable on board the array. He nodded when he was satisfied with the conditions over there.

"Janeway to Chakotay," she hailed the bridge. "We are ready for transport."

Protocol did not usually require them to inform the bridge of a transport such as this, but they could not be transported unless _Voyager_ dropped her shields.

_Affirmative_, Chakotay replied. The Ensign at the transporter station checked his screen. The moment the bridge dropped the shields he activated the transport. Seconds later the world faded. When the world reappeared they were no longer on _Voyager_, but inside the brightly-lit array only kilometers away from where they had been seconds ago. Silently she wished Chakotay and the ship good luck.

They were going to need it.


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6**

"_No, she went off to look for more interesting places."_

As the last of the spots left by the transporter beam disappeared, the bright light of the array assaulted his eyes. Few non-Betazoids realized that because the Betazoid eyes are so huge and black, they are also more light-sensitive than most other humanoid eyes. Young Sutor blinked his eyes, desperately hoping they won't tear. He still couldn't believe the crew of _Voyager_ accepted him so readily. The Doctor had told him the complete story of what his brother had done. The official reports had left so much untold.

He often wondered why he had even applied for the post on _Voyager_. His brother had killed people on the ship, yet now he was trusted with the lives of – mostly – the same crew.

Commander Tuvok was already busy with his scans. Belatedly Sutor remembered his tricorder. He took it out and activated it. The readings on the array were not much better than those on _Voyager_. For accurate data he needed to get closer to the source of the readings: the Ocampa themselves.

"Our first priority is to find the Tetrion mechanism," Janeway began. "Tuvok, you have some experience with their technology, so I'll leave that up to you." She turned to Sutor. "Mister Sutor, see if you can find the Ocampa."

"Yes, Admiral," the young man answered. Kim had told him the story of his own first day, and how Janeway had told him never to call her 'sir' or 'ma'am.' Sutor made note of little details like that.

"And may I enquire as to where you are going," the Vulcan told Janeway. Sutor was never sure who was really in command between Janeway and Tuvok. Their relationship was complex. As a Betazoid he should be aware of other's emotions – and thus be able to read more of how that relationship worked, but he shared the same defect as his brother: he had little empathic ability. But whereas it had driven Lon mad, the younger man found it a relief.

"I'm going to see if I can find any trace of the female Caretaker. Remember to keep an open com-link at all times," she added, probably for his sake. Had he been the type, he might have blushed.

Sutor did not fancy going off alone in the overly-lit corridor, but he could hardly ask one of the others to join him. He did not want to disappoint Janeway to ask her, and he was just the slightest bit afraid of Tuvok. He did not understand how so many of the crew could play the jokes on the tall, dark man.

His tricorder showed a concentration of life down the left-hand corridor, so he followed that. The floors, walls and roof all seemed to be made out of the same bright white material. The light seemed to radiate from behind the white substance, so that there were no shadows cast at all. Every once in a while another corridor would branch out from the one he was in, but the lifesigns were still originating somewhere in front of him.

The corridor finally ended at a strangely-shaped door. It was much wider at the top than at the bottom, resembling an upside-down pear. To the right-hand side was a small panel with a pressure pad. He softly depressed it and the door irised open. It surprised him to find a door like this on a space-station, as he knew the reason why all Starfleet designers scorned irises in their designs, was because it was impossible to get it completely airtight.

Two steps took him inside the door. On the other side was an immense chamber with row upon row of oval-shaped pods. He now understood the strange shape of the door: if the pods had been added after the array was built, the pods would fit exactly through the top half of the door.

He scanned the pods as he drew closer, but neither his tricorder-readings nor the evidence he saw with his own eyes surprised him: the moment he had stepped through that door he had known what the pods contained.

The report on the female-Caretaker's array had stated that there were several hundred Ocampa living with her on the array. He guessed there had to be about that amount of pods in the room: each containing an Ocampan.

Dutifully he tapped his com-badge. "Admiral, I've found the Ocampa," he said, still busy with his tricorder.

_Yes, Mister Sutor?_ Janeway asked.

"There is a chamber with hundreds of chryo-stasis pods, Admiral," he quickly explained. "I believe all the Ocampa on board are here, in this chamber. All of them are in suspended animation."

_Can you find any reason why they are in suspended animation?_

Sutor scanned the pod nearest him, but the tricorder didn't reveal anything worthwhile, except that the humanoid inside the pod was very old. Seeing as these were Ocampa, Sutor guessed the man was at least eight or nine years old.

. It was important to know if there was any contaminant that had infected these people – and might thus be a threat to the _Voyager_ crew, so he scanned the next pod. The readings were the same as those of the first pod.

A feeling of dread washed over the young Betazoid. In quick succession he scanned another dozen pods, only to find the readings stayed the same: every pod near the door contained a single Ocampa, advanced in years. He was also aware Janeway would be waiting for an answer.

"Sutor to Janeway. Admiral," he said as he heard the beep of her combadge, "I haven't scanned every pod, but it seems the Ocampa had been put in stasis to keep them from dying of old age."

_Old age?_ Janeway seemed to be as stunned as he was.

"Yes, Admiral. I'll look around some more, but it seems as if all the Ocampa on the array are naturally dying."

_Just stay where you are, Mister Sutor. I'll join you in a few minutes,_ the Admiral commanded. He nodded, preoccupied and thus not even thinking about the fact that she could not see it. But he was intrigued by the strange phenomenon of this chamber.

He decided to make his way to the rear of the chamber. Perhaps at the back he might find a few younger Ocampa.

He was on his fiftieth scan when the iris dilated and Janeway entered the pod chamber.

"Admiral," he called. She quickly made her way over to him. When she reached him, he started to explain his readings. "As far as I can tell, the Ocampa themselves built these pods. The pods here at the back are the oldest and have been in use the longest."

"So when an Ocampa reached a certain age he got into a pod? Why? What would they be waiting for?" Janeway scanned the pod, but he knew her scans would only confirm his own.

"Admiral, these pods are about eight years old," he remarked. This brought her up short; as he had done the same math in his hear earlier when he had discovered this bit of information.

"_Voyager_ had been here eight years ago," she said. Her eyes seemed sad and once more he was relieved he wasn't empathic. "Suspiria must have left them," she added as she looked around. "And when she left they started to age naturally again."

"Yes, Admiral," he said. "And it seemed as if they stopped procreating at the same time." She frowned at him.

"Explain."

"Well, I find signs that the women in this part of the chamber had all given birth, but even those a year closer to the entrance are barren." He looked at the rows of pods. "They would not even have been able to produce offspring," he finally said. A whole settlement of people, lost.

They were both startled when the iris opened behind them. Both had been too busy with their own thoughts for a moment to pay attention to their surroundings, it seemed.

In marched Tuvok, a frown on his usually inexpressive face.

"Admiral," he said as he reached them. "The control-room has been obliterated," he reported. "We will not be using this array to get home."

"Can't we repair the damage?" Sutor asked; his belly clenched in dread.

"No, Ensign," Tuvok dashed his hopes. "All the energy stored in the array has been used in what appeared to have been an inexpert use of the Tetrion beam. The feedback caused by the attempt had set off an explosion that had effectively rendered the technology unsalvageable." He looked around him at the pods. "In fact, these pods are merely running on back-up power."

"How long before it runs out, Tuvok?" Janeway asked the dark and forbidding Vulcan.

"In a matter of days, Admiral." He frowned and tapped at his tricorder. "Four-point-seven-two days," he informed them. He looked up from his tricorder. "I would suggest we leave before then, Admiral. Already life-support is failing."


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7**

"_Why were you bringing ships here?"_

No matter how hard Janeway had tried, a part of them will always be Maquis. But time – and a greater experience – had made the Maquis-ties loosen until all that remained was a few smiles and some vague memories.

Fortunately that did not mean they had forgotten every tactic ever used in the Maquis, especially every tactic about successful hiding. In fact, that was the one skill even Janeway had left to her Maquis-officers once or twice.

That did not mean B'Elanna liked it, though. Hiding might be a good idea, but it was not a very Klingon idea. Okay, so the Klingons used cloaking-technology, but that was sneaking, not hiding. A part of her was thus now screaming at her to slip out from their hiding place and go beat the Kazon cruiser.

Besides, hiding was boring. B'Elanna hit a button on the panel in front of her and the energy _Voyager_ emitted dropped even further. The Kazon would not he able to find any energy-readings that would give their position away. And as long as Tom kept that rusty-looking moon between them and the cruiser, they ought to be safe for a few hours.

She looked over at her husband from her seat at the Engineering-station on the bridge. Ten years ago she would never have imagined that she could even like the pilot, never mind fall for him. He had been cocky, arrogant and immature. Yet, when she thought about it, from the very beginning it had been Tom who had stood by her in her darkest hours.

It was almost as if he could feel her gaze on him. Tom turned around and smiled at her. She smiled back: maybe hiding wasn't so bad, after all.

Just then a slight beep disturbed the silence on the bridge. "The _Daedalus_ is hailing us, Captain," Harry informed the bridge.

"On screen," the familiar reply came. Chakotay sat up straighter, but did not get up. Then the image of the rusty moon against a background of bright stars was replaced by that of the bridge of the _Daedalus_. It was a pan-view that included the whole bridge, including the four admirals standing behind Captain Ellrose.

"Captain Chakotay," she hailed the officer on _Voyager_. Chakotay smiled only slightly.

"How can I help you, Captain?" he formally asked. It was no secret that Chakotay and Ellrose didn't see eye to eye. Ellrose didn't smile back.

"I've allowed you to take the initiative these past few hours, mostly because I agreed with your tactics," the tall woman said. "But now I must insist that the _Daedalus_ take the lead." She looked behind her at the admirals gathered there. Foxworth and Crewaw stood together, but the other two stood a little ways apart. When Ellrose looked back at the screen, she was smiling. "We do seem to be the ranking ship in the quadrant," she grinned.

B'Elanna sighed. No wonder Chakotay didn't like the woman. Didn't she realise they were in the Delta quadrant? It didn't matter who had the most ranking officers: _Voyager_ was the one with the experience.

Chakotay looked away from the screen. For a moment his eyes fell on B'Elanna, and she nodded in encouragement. He looked back at the screen, his smile gone. "Captain, normally I would gladly yield to you and the Admirals," and he nodded in their direction. "But in this matter I will not. Our greatest chance of survival lies with _Voyager_ and a crew that is familiar with this part of space."

"I am aware of your status here in the Delta quadrant," the Captain of the other ship said. B'Elanna couldn't believe the woman was going to continue with this conversation, especially via an open com channel. It was so undignified. But you can hardly expect this ship," she said as she indicated the little Nova-classed vehicle, "to fly under your command."

Chakotay calmly looked at the woman on the screen. "And why would that be?" he asked.

Ellrose looked a bit uncomfortable, and B'Elanna wished her all the uncomfort in the world. Then she straightened her back. "You are nothing but a bunch of rebels wha was given a ship and a little assignment, because nobody knew what else to do with you," the venomous woman spat.

B'Elanna bristled, an emotion she could see echoed in the people on the bridge. How could the woman? How _could_ she? B'Elanna and the rest of the ex-Maquis were aware that there were still those in Starfleet who considered them unworthy of serving in the Federation fleet. Ellrose was among them, but to use that as a reason to undermine Chakotay's authority, was absurd.

She looked over at her Captain. Chakotay seemed extremely calm and serene: his way of bristling. But then her gaze drifted upwards and she saw the deep sadness in Harry's eyes. Her friend looked over at her, but there was nothing she could do to make this better for him. Harry was a straight-A Starfleet kid. He played by the rules and was extremely proud of this ship and the crew on board it. Ellrose had no right.

Chakotay must have become aware of Harry's mood, for he turned around to look at the younger man. When he turned back he had a slight frown on his tattooed face. He addressed the tall, thin woman. "Captain, if our presence is so disturbing to you, then perhaps you would prefer to continue on your own," he softly said. That soft tone of voice had always been able to cut through B'Elanna's own anger.

Ellrose glared at him, but moments later she gave a step back. She glanced over her shoulder at Crewaw and Foxworth. Ah, obviously her confidence had come from the backing of those two PADD-pushers. B'Elanna wanted to growl, but with supreme effort controlled herself.

Crewaw leaned over at the captain and whispered something to her. Foxworth nodded. Ellrose turned back to the screen and glared at Chakotay. "As you have the stronger ship," she told the crew of _Voyager_, "it would seem we...i have little choice. This Nova-class ship is not armed for this quadrant, therefore I will yield to your advantage." She nodded, but it was the nod of a viper.

"I will inform you when it is time to leave," Chakotay informed the woman. All of them knew the battle was far from over. "Might I suggest you take the time to repair as much of the ship as you can? The coherent Tetrion beam causes great damage."

"As you wish," Ellrose frostily replied. Harry deemed it a great moment to end the communication and the view of the moon returned.

"I'll kill her," B'Elanna finally burst out, unable to contain her anger anymore. She glared at the view-screen.

"You'll have to stand in line," Harry surprised them with saying. She looked at her friend. She had never seen the Lieutenant so angry before.

"We could always just abandon them," Tom drawled. "Let's see how they do on their own in the Delta quadrant."

She knew Chakotay well enough to know he shared their sentiments, but he took his responsibilities on _Voyager _very seriously. "That will be enough of that," he informed his senior staff. "No matter what our personal feelings are, the _Daedalus_ is here now and we need to deal with it." He grinned then, an expression similar to one of Tom's. He looked at the pilot. "But perhaps you would like to resurrect Sandrine's Bar," he told B'Elanna's husband. The reference was to the holographic program of years ago where the crew had been able to go and make sense of their changed world. Yes, perhaps the bar – and a few bar discussions – might not be such a bad idea.


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8**

"_And why were you infecting them with a fatal disease?"_

The repairs had taken longer than hoped, but no longer than expected. Four hours after they had been brought back to the Delta quadrant, _Voyager_ was once more ready to face the onslaughts of space.

Chakotay was aware that the ship was no more than an assembly of metal and plastic, yet it often felt as if the ship itself was alive. Perhaps what he really felt was the life of the crew. Or just maybe the fact that _Voyager_'s circuitry was bio-neural had something to do with it. Either way, he, like all those of the original expedition who had signed up again to serve on _Voyager_, felt safe – at home – within the confines of the starship.

And now _Voyager_ was headed back to confront the Kazon. But this time _Voyager_ was not heading into the confrontation unprepared or completely alone. For a start, the ship was still equipped with the futuristic Borg armour. The technology and futuristic neural-interfaces had been worked on these past two years. Now it was controlled from Tactical and the regeneration of the nanites were left up to the neural jell-packs to figure out. The only problem still was that it took a little while to activate. Therefore it was not used in regular combat, but selectively deployed as the situation called.

With _Voyager _was the litte Nova-class starship, _Daedalus_. The ship was not as fast or as deadly as_ Voyager_, but it was an advantage none the less.

Finally, after numerous encounters with the Kazon and enough time to reflect upon the information gathered by _Voyager_, they had discovered a fatal flaw in the design of the immense cruisers. Not that anyone had ever thought to put the knowledge to the test within the next few generations.

So now they were headed back towards the Kazon and the array, where Janeway, Tuvok and Sutor awaited their return. _Voyager_ boldly led a convoy of deadly intent: fanned out in a classic battle formation were the _Delta Flyer_, two more shuttles and the _Daedalus_. All of _Voyager_'s shuttles were equipped with the Borg armour as well – three of which were now deployed.

The plan was elegant and simple, but it all depended on the willingness of Ellrose to do her bit. The plan was thus: the armoured ships would bombard the cruiser, hopefully drawing all of the fire from the Kazon. The _Daedalus_'s task was to manoeuvre in close to the cruiser. On the bow of the ship was a small vent only centimetres in diameter. The vent was shielded, but with constant phaser fire the shield would collapse. Only the weakest of power-surges would cause an explosion that would put the ship out of commission: the Kazon vented excess warp plasma through the small hole.

The difficult part was to give a ship the time needed to penetrate that shield.

"This is Captain Chakotay," he hailed the small fleet trailing behind _Voyager_. "You are all aware of what you have to do. Keep this com-line open, and good luck."

The small fleet fanned out. _Voyager_ ducked in below the Kazon cruiser and opened fire. Red-hot phaser crashed into the shields. The Kazon returned fire. Quickly the shuttles spread out around the cruiser. The shuttles seemed almost insignificant etched against the behemoth.

In _Voyager_'s wake followed the _Daedalus_. So far the Kazon were ignoring the little ship, concentrating their fire on those ships that fired on them.

"Shields holding, Captain," the ensign at Tactical reported. Good. The Borg might have adapted by now, but every trick was a new trick against the Kazon.

_Voyager_ dipped, a manoeuvre so unexpected the inertial dampeners did not completely compensate. Chakotay spread his feet a bit further – it would not do for the Captain to fall over. "Return fire," he said, aware it was an unnecessary command: already the Kazon shields blazed with the return fire from _Voyager_.

Suddenly the little _Daedalus _broke away and headed towards the Kazon cruiser. Used to _Voyager_'s smooth lines, the Nova-class ship looked clumsy to Chakotay. It resembled the _Enterprise_, the Galaxy-class flagship of the Federation, only much smaller.

"Ensign," he told the Bolian at Tactical. "Fire a spread of photon torpedoes." He waited. Moments later the fiery stars raced away to explode against their enemy. One got through the shield and a small section of the cruiser exploded. If the Kazon's shield were depleted, it meant the _Daedalus_ would be able to sneak in close enough to the cruiser to execute their part of the plan.

Just when it looked as if everything was going according to plan, the Kazon cruiser fired on the small ship. The fire was absorbed by the shields, but Chakotay was aware the _Daedalus_ could not sustain too much fire.

"The _Daedalus_ is hailing us," Harry reported. "I'm putting it through, audio only."

"What is it, Captain?" Chakotay asked.

_Our shields are failing,_ a worried Ellrose said. _Can you draw the fire away from us?_

"We'll try our best," Chakotay answered. Deep in his mind he scowled at the disembodied voice. Ellrose knew the plan, and if she had been monitoring their progress, then she would know that _Voyager_ was already drawing most of the fire. But she just needed that moment to let them know she was still there and unhappy with the leadership of this expedition.

Always a man of his word, Chakotay told the blue man at Tactical: "See if you can target their weapons array."

"Aye-aye, Captain." The man was already at it. The phaser shifted and another part of the cruiser exploded. The problem was that even a large explosion seemed insignificant on the big ship.

It had not been enough to disable their weapons and the Kazon once more focussed on _Voyager_, leaving _Daedalus _and the reluctant Ellrose free to target the vent in peace.

Another volley of fire caused a consol at the Engineering station to explode. Fortunately nobody was seated there. The rest of the ship was not so fortunate, it seemed

"Captain, casualties reporting in from all over the ship," Harry said, his face worried. The young man must be thinking about his young wife. It was definitely not protocol to have civilians on board, but the coherent Tetrion wave had not asked who it brought over, though.

"Captain, the shields might be holding," Tactical reported, "but the ship itself is going to rip apart if we continue this much longer."

"Understood," the Captain replied. "But we need to give the_ Daedalus_ a little more time."

Just then one of the shuttles burst into view, one nacelle leaving a trail of smoke and sparks. Another beam hit it, obviously knocking out its stabilisers. The little ship went spinning.

"Ensign, beam the pilot of that shuttle over here," Chakotay said as he thought of something. The Bolian was silent for a moment, then reported that the pilot was safe in transporter room one. The shuttle was smoking even more, drifting off to starboard side. "Lock a tractor-beam on that shuttle," Chakotay told the man.

The Bolian frowned. "That's going to be very dangerous, Captain."

"I know. Do it anyway."

The Ensign nodded. Moments later the spinning of the shuttle was halted as the greenish beam locked onto it. Chakotay hoped this worked. "Okay, Tom, take us in close to the Kazon cruiser. See if you can rub the shuttle off on it."

Tom nodded and _Voyager_ surged forward. The shuttle had its own mini warp-core on board, and a breach on the cruiser surface would cause enormous damage. Like a dog on a leash the shuttle followed its mother ship, only to be killed in a shattering explosion as it was rubbed off on the big ship. Fortunately Paris had already taken _Voyager_ out of the blast radius.

"The cruiser's weapons had been knocked out by the explosion," Harry reported. Finally, Chakotay thought. Just then another explosion shattered through the immense cruiser: Ellrose had breached the vent-shield. The Kazon was out of commission.

"Incoming transmission, Captain," Harry once more reported. "It's the Kazon."

"On screen." They all waited. The fuzzy image of Maje Culluh appeared on the view screen. He was scowling.

"Maje," Chakotay formally greeted.

"You may have won this round, Captain," the alien sneered. "But you will not be so fortunate next time."

Chakotay frowned. "We do not plan on staying in the Delta quadrant long enough for there to be a next time."

Culluh actually smiled. "That's what you think."

The Captain's frown deepened. Culluh obviously knew something he was not sharing with them. But the link had already been broken. The cruiser was slowly retreating. There was a nice moon only a short distance away they could use to hide behind, he mentally informed Culluh.

"Okay, let's go pick up Janeway and the others," he told the bridge. He looked at Harry. "Lieutenant, go see to if the civilians are okay."

The young man smiled gratefully. "Aye, Captain," he said, already on his way.


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter 9**

"_No, no, they didn't die of a disease..."_

"Admiral, none of these people could have activated the beam," Sutor frowned. "These pods have all been active for over a year."

"A year," Janeway softly breathed. Then these Ocampa must have lost the ability to age as the one who had come to visit Kes had boasted he could. She could not recall his name, but she remembered the damage his visit had caused. She often wondered if he had anything to do with Kes' transformation into energy. She had loved Kes; perhaps like the daughter she had never had and even now a part of her still hated that the woman had been taken from them.

"Though broken, the Tetrion generator shows signs of recent use," Tuvok calmly remarked.

"But if these people had not used it, then who did?" Janeway wondered. "Tuvok, have your scans showed any trace of sporocystian life?"

"If you mean: did the female Caretaker bring us here, then I must reply that I do not know." The Vulcan hated not having the answer, she knew. "I can find no trace of sporocystian life, yet that does not preclude the possibility that out tricorders merely might not be picking up the residuals of that being."

That left them back at square one: anything still might have happened. Perhaps it might even have been an accident: a very ironic malfunction of the system.

"It was Suspiria," a new – yet familiar – voice startled them. The three of them turned to look at the lovely young woman in the doorway. She was as delicate and beautiful as the day she had left them – and as young. Her blonde hair fell nearly to her waist and she seemed more serene than Janeway ever remembered her.

As if an unspoken thought had brought her here, Kes was slowly making her way through the maze of pods.

Tuvok had not drawn his phaser, but Janeway sensed his tension. She herself felt it: was this their Kes, or the angry and confused one they had encountered about four years later? From the corner of her eye she saw Sutor frown. He would not recognize the young woman, after all.

"Be calm, Captain," Kes said as she came to a halt only a few steps away. She smiled softly. "I will not harm you."

Janeway relaxed a little. Then years of missing this woman overcame her. "Oh, Kes," she breathed. The young woman stepped closer until they were embracing: a reunion of friends Janeway had never thought would happen.

She stepped back, looking at the young woman. "The last time I saw you, you were much older," she finally said. Kes nodded.

"The last time you saw me, I was dying. But now I have finally ascended," Kes said. She looked at Tuvok, her one-time mentor. "Hello, Tuvok."

"Kes," he replied, inclining his head in her direction. He was still tense.

Kes turned to the young Betazoid. "You really resemble your older brother," she told him. He looked even more startled than before.

"You know me?" Sutor asked her.

"In a way, yes." Kes smiled. "You have all the strength of your brother, but you are not as angry and confused as he was." Lightly she touched his forehead, closing her eyes. When she opened them she smiled once more. "You have the potential to do great things in life," she mysteriously told him.

Janeway finally deemed it a good moment to ask the first of many burning questions. "You say you have ascended. What does that mean?"

Kes slightly frowned. "The first time I left you, I was able to bridge the gap between matter and energy. But I did not realise I still had to transform – to ascend." A deep pain clouded her face. "I could only make that final transformation the day I died. Every step I took while alive had only been that; a step. Death was the final one." Suddenly she grinned. "I am now the new Caretaker of the Ocampa," she proudly told them.

"But these people are dying," Sutor burst out. He motioned towards the pods. "And there are no children here to take their place."

Again sorrow clouded Kes' face. "These Ocampa changed a long time ago. I only ascended recently. There was nothing I could do for them." She lightly touched a pod. "They are the ones who are lost."

"Do you know what happened here?" Janeway asked Kes. Kes nodded.

"When Suspiria left, everything she had given them was taken away, as well."

"That was the day that Suspiria tried to destroy _Voyager_?" Janeway could only imagine how that fact would hurt the lovely Ocampa Caretaker.

"Yes," she sadly replied. "And part of what Suspiria had given them was fertility – the ability to have many children. But when she left that gift became a curse and they became infertile."

"I'm so sorry," Janeway said, lightly touching the other woman's arm. She then returned to another of those burning questions she had for Kes. "You said Suspiria did this. You mean the pods? Or bringing us here?"

"When the Ocampa realised what was happening, they created these stasis-pods in an effort to survive. They hoped that perhaps one day a being strong enough would give them back that which was stolen from them." She looked at Janeway. "No, Captain, it was Suspiria who brought _Voyager_ back here." She looked away. "It is I who should beg your forgiveness, Captain. I knew she hated you. I just never imagined she would do something like this."

"Then there is no way for us to get home?" Dread settled into the pit of Janeway's belly – a dread as familiar as breathing.

"Not here, no, Captain." Kes shook her head, her long hair slipping over one shoulder.

"I must inform you," Tuvok staunchly told Kes, "that Captain Janeway is no longer captain, but Admiral Janeway." Janeway frowned at the man and she could see Sutor looking a bit flustered at the unexpected information.

"Captain, congratulations," Kes said. She looked at Tuvok. "Captain, Admiral or even Kathryn, the person is still the same, is she not?" She grinned. "I am no longer Kes the Ocampa, but I am still me."

Janeway grinned as well. "Tuvok, she does have a point there."

"Indeed," he replied.

"Then who is Captain of _Voyager_," Kes asked.

"Chakotay," Janeway proudly told her friend. Kes looked at her, head slightly tilted. Then she smiled.

"I see you and Chakotay finally figured things out," she remarked. If she had been the type, Janeway would have blushed.

"Were you aware Tom actually had been taking bets on the matter for years?"

Kes nodded. "Yes, Captain. How is he?"

"Married to B'Elanna. Their little daughter, Miral, turned two only a few weeks ago."

Kes smiled. Then she looked up, almost as if she had heard something. "_Voyager_ is here," she informed them. "I must go." She turned to her friends. "Say hello to Harry for me."

"Will we see you again?" Tuvok asked his once-student.

"This is the Delta quadrant," she replied. "Anything is possible." The next moment she vanished in a soft glow of blue light.

Voyager_ to the away team_, Harry's voice slightly crackled over the com-badge.

"Three to beam up," Janeway replied, still looking at the spot where Kes had disappeared from their lives once more.


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter 10**

"_They died, because they were incompatible."_

"The away team is on board, Captain," Harry said after a moment. Chakotay nodded. Perhaps Janeway and the rest would have answers to the questions that keep piling up.

About a minute later Janeway and Tuvok entered the bridge. Janeway was frowning.

"Welcome back, Admiral," Chakotay told them. "Where is Sutor?"

"He is on his way. He wanted to ask the opinion of the Doctor on something before joining us." Janeway still looked troubled. It was not like her to show much emotion in front of the crew, but Chakotay had noticed she was relaxing a little now that she was not in command anymore.

"I take it things didn't go so well over there?" he asked.

"I'm not really sure," she answered. She frowned slightly. "We're going to need a bigger briefing-room. Ellrose and the admirals need to hear this, as well." She looked at him, her eyes sad and serious. "But perhaps I need to brief you first on what happened over there."

He held out his arm, motioning for her to precede him into his ready-room. In the years since the Delta quadrant, he had grown used to the idea of it being _his_ ready-room. But when Janeway was with him, it was sometimes difficult to remember exactly whose room it was. So to help them both feel comfortable, he led her to the long, comfortable seat beneath the porthole.

"What happened over there?" he asked the moment they were seated. He wondered what could have happened to make his lover look so tired in just a few hours. Before she answered him, she looked out at the stars – a pose he knew well. It meant she was trying to order her thoughts. Finally she turned back. She did not smile.

"Kes is back," she simply told him.

"Kes?" he incredulously wanted to know. Finally she smiled.

"Yes. As I understand it, she has finally reached her potential. She said she is now the new Ocampa Caretaker."

In his wildest dream he had not thought he would see the Ocampa woman again. She would have turned ten this year, well past the Ocampa life-expectancy. Okay, so he still had not seen her, but just knowing she was out there was comforting.

"The bad news," Kathryn continued, "is that we will not be using the array to get home. Tuvok tells me it is completely unsalvageable."

"I suppose you did not find the female Caretaker?"

"No. But Kes confirmed our suspicion that it was Suspiria who brought us here." She leaned forward, obviously with more bad news to impart. "The Ocampa she brought here are all dying. She left them," her voice lowered even more, "and now they are dying." She looked out the porthole again, her face turned to the stars.

Chakotay knew how she felt. He, too, felt the weight of the responsibility she still carried. Years ago they had passed here, and in their wake they had left destruction. Unfortunately it had been these Ocampa that paid the price. Yes, it could be argued the fate of these Ocampa had been decided by Suspiria, when she had left here. Yet this did not comfort him, and he knew it did not comfort Kathryn.

He reached out and, by the simple means of touching the cheek she had turned away from him, made her look at him. She smiled just the tiniest bit, but there was no comfort in it.

"It seems we're back where we started," she wearily told him.

"No," he softly told her. "This time we know what is out there." He thought about the people just beyond the door; at those throughout the rest of the ship. "Everyone on _Voyager_ is here because we can't let go of the past. We are here because we're family. This time we are stronger."

She took his hand, something she seemed to be doing a lot these days. "I just wish it could be different, you know." She sighed. "How will we tell the others?"

Many things in life he did not know, but he knew the answer to this question: "We will find a way. We always have," he ended as he lightly kissed her.

***

They were all gathered in the mess hall, around a number of tables that had been moved together. All of _Voyager_'s senior crew was there: Tuvok, Tom, B'Elanna, Harry, the Doctor and Seven; as well as Janeway, Sutor and Reg Barclay. Representing the _Daedalus_ was Ellrose, their Chief Engineer, the First Officer and the four admirals. By now it was obvious that Crewaw, Foxworth and Ellrose formed a separate group that supported one another.

"So we're stuck here?" Crewaw was demanding. Her face was flushed with anger. "And that because some alien entity had a bone to grind with _Voyager_?"

Chakotay, with the input from the away-team, had finally delivered the bad news to the other crew. It had not gone over too well.

Earlier Janeway had suggested that Chakotay should leave the admirals to her. She, too, had picked up on their prejudice, so it really was logical to let her sort them out. She was of equal rank and had a spotless Starfleet career.

"Admiral Crewaw," she now addressed the flushed woman, "we are all aware of the responsibility _Voyager_ has in all of this. But it would not serve any purpose to fight among each other. Like it or not, we are all on this together. The sooner we all work together, the better." There was steel in Janeway's voice, and Chakotay was actually glad her anger was not directed at him.

"Then I suppose you will find a way to get us out of this mess?" Ellrose demanded. Ah: if the admirals were left to Janeway, he got to handle the other captain.

"Captain," he said with an absolutely straight face. He could almost feel Janeway suppress a grin and both Tom and B'Elanna was obviously fighting the same reaction. "_Voyager_ gladly assumes the role as leader in this expedition, as," he quickly added, "you asked of us just now. We are responsible for this situation and we will find the solution." He looked at Ellrose. "I trust we can depend on your cooperation?"

An unthinking moment of anger had lost her the argument, and Emily Ellrose knew it. Chakotay wondered if she would have ground her teeth if it would not have been a further defeat.

"Yes, Captain," she finally answered.

And just perhaps, Chakotay thought, they would once more get out of this alive.


	11. Chapter 11

**Chapter 11**

"_I've been searching the galaxy for a compatible bio-molecular structure."_

He would check his findings once more. He knew what the answer would be, though.

Self-doubt was not part of his programming, yet he had learned from the _Voyager_ crew that often one needed to check the results just one more time: just so you _know_ you had been right in the end.

And so the Doctor went over all of the data once more; almost driven to find a flaw in his analysis. Unfortunately he had to admit he had been correct the first time: the Ocampa in the stasis-pods were dying.

"Right now," he told Janeway and Chakotay a few minutes later as he returned to the ship, "the only thing keeping them alive is the pods. But the technology is not perfect: they are still aging."

"Would our technology prolong their time?" Chakotay asked.

"Probably," the hologram answered. But it would take quite a long time to convert all the pods. And the power on the array is nearly depleted."

"So there is nothing we can do for them?" the Captain asked.

"I'm sorry," the Doctor reluctantly answered. "But no." He shrugged. "You must remember these people have reached the age where they die naturally."

"It still feels wrong," Chakotay said, and a big part of the Doctor agreed.

Before the three of them could continue their discussion, Harry interrupted it.

_Captain,_ he announced over the com. _The Kazon are back._

The three of them filed out of the ready-room onto the bridge.

"Persistent, aren't they," Janeway remarked. She stood to one side and the Doctor went to stand beside her.

"Hail them," Chakotay ordered.

"Aye-aye, Captain," Harry said. Moments later the familiar face of Maje Culluh appeared on the view-screen.

"What do you want, Culluh?" Chakotay demanded.

"My fight is not with you today," the shaggy alien snarled. "But I have waited long enough for my reward!"

"Your reward?"

"The female promised me a reward for being here," Culluh said. The Doctor wondered who the 'female' the Kazon referred to was. "Now I will take what is mine!"

Chakotay frowned, but the Doctor was starting to understand the strange conversation and it frightened him.

"Captain," the Vulcan said, obviously also starting to put two-and-two together. "I believe Maje Culluh is planning to plunder the array."

Yes, just as the Doctor had thought.

"Is this true?' Chakotay roughly demanded.

"She promised me!" Culluh growled. "Stay out of my way or we will destroy you."

"Well, it seems we've been here before, as well," Janeway dryly remarked. The Doctor had not been mobile then, but he knew what she was referring to: _Voyager_'s very first days in the Delta quadrant. Only then it had been another Maje that had threatened to plunder the array – the Caretaker's array. Then it had been the Ocampa on the Ocampa homeworld that had been in danger from the Kazon. And once more only _Voyager_ stood between the Kazon and the Ocampa.

"There are people on the array," Chakotay informed the Kazon.

"Then they, too, had better stay out of my way."

"Captain," the Doctor interrupted. "The energy on the array is already at the minimum. If it has to sustain a boarding party, it will be depleted in minutes."

Chakotay looked over at Harry and the young man nodded. The Doctor knew this meant that the sound of the transmission had been muted. Then the Captain looked over at the Doctor.

"Doctor," he asked, "if we were to give the array some additional power, how long will the Ocampa have?"

The doctor shrugged. "Months."

"Captain, I must point out that anything we do to interfere will not help the Ocampa," Tuvok echoed the Doctor's thoughts. "The Kazon will merely raid that as well."

The Doctor was aware of some of his faults, but he really had a burning desire to heal others. There was nothing that hurt so much as knowing he could do nothing to save a life. Yet time has taught him a few lessons, as well. He knew that sometimes life forces one to choose between the lesser of two evils.

"Captain," he now said. "The stasis pods at the back have already failed. The energy the array used on life-support when the Admiral was there had drained the system beyond repair. The rest of the pods will start to fail within days."

Chakotay looked at the Doctor and the hologram wondered what the man was thinking. In many ways Janeway had been predictable, but Chakotay was much more of an enigma. The Doctor often found it unnerving to have him as Captain as he never really knew what was going to happen.

"So if we leave the Ocampa, they will die in days," Chakotay finally said. "And if we help them, we will give the Kazon reason to raid them and it might only prolong the Ocampa's lives by months."

"Yes, Captain," the Doctor said even though Chakotay had not really asked him a question. "And we can't bring them on board either. There are just too many of them."

The Doctor looked over at Janeway, who was silent next to him. He recognised the look of determination on her face, but there was something more there, as well. Well, if it had been him, he would have...he would have...no, not that either.

After a moment he realised he, too, would have had too much difficulty to decide the fate of the Ocampa. He looked back at Janeway and realised how she must be feeling: relief that the decision was not hers anymore, but sadness because she must know – just as the Doctor knew – that any decision would haunt Chakotay for the rest of his life.

Such moments of clarity were difficult for the Doctor. He returned his attention to the Captain, sure now what the choice would have to be. "Captain, we cannot help the Ocampa," he said with as much determination as he could muster. "But we cannot give the Kazon any other advantages, either."

Chakotay glanced over at Tuvok, who nodded. He looked at Janeway, but she refused to even blink, the Doctor saw. The senior officers had given their recommendations, now it was up to the Captain to choose.

"Harry, resume audio," Captain Chakotay said. The whole conversation had taken mere seconds, but already Culluh looked angry – angrier.

"Culluh, we will not allow you to raid the Ocampa's array," he told the alien on the view-screen.

"And what will you do to stop us?" the Kazon Maje sneered. "You insignificant little ship means nothing to us."

Everyone knew that was a lie: the true prize here would have been _Voyager_. But before anyone could respond, the view-screen went blank. Culluh had broken the connection.

"Mister Tuvok, prepare three photon torpedoes," their Captain said. Tuvok went over to the Tactical station. The bridge was silent except for the sound of Harry tapping at his controls. Then the dark man replied:

"Torpedoes ready, Captain."

"Fire at the central mast of the array, Lieutenant."

"Aye, Captain."

Tuvok fired. Three sparkling dots appeared on screen, only to impact with the array seconds later. It exploded: the Kazon would not get at its technology.

"Offer a prayer for the Ocampa tonight," Chakotay softly said. He turned to Harry. "If the Kazon hails us, ignore them. They will have nothing to say that we haven't heard before."

"Aye-aye."


	12. Chapter 12

**Chapter 12**

"_You were trying to procreate."_

They were back where they had started: back in the mess-hall. Harry realised the last time this particular speech was given; it had been on the bridge. But since then everyone had started to naturally gravitate towards the mess-hall. Now it seemed impossible not to hear the fate of the ship here: in what had become the heart of _Voyager_.

He looked around. The mess-hall was still bedecked in its finery: nobody had as yet had the time to clean up after the party. But whereas the mess-hall had looked grand earlier, it now looked tacky.

"Is this how it was the last time?" Libby asked. She stood close by his side, her hand clenched in his. He looked at his lovely young wife with her big eyes and dark hair.

"No," he finally said. "Last time was much worse." He smiled at her. "That time we were all alone. This time I have you here." And he leaned over and lightly kissed her. He knew there was a long and difficult journey ahead of her; especially as she had told him only this morning that she was pregnant. He wondered how he was going to tell the captain about that.

The doors _swooshed_ open. The Captain and Janeway entered the mess-hall. Janeway went to stand to one side, but this time it was Chakotay's responsibility to tell the crew of their fate.

The tattooed man looked around the mess-hall. He seemed sad.

"It seems all of us have been here before," he said. Harry looked around, realising that it really was true. Only about five or six people were not of the original crew; two of which were Libby and Miral. Yet those two did not seem like outsiders: Miral had been born on _Voyager_ and everyone had always known about his Libby.

"For now," the Captain began, "we seem to be stranded in the Delta quadrant. But we know now it needn't be a decades-long journey." He looked around at the people gathered in the mess-hall and smiled. "This time, also, we are prepared. We carry with us the knowledge and memories of a journey taken before. Ten years ago we were two opposing crews who were trying just to survive. This time we are a family who know how to not only survive, but also to live life to the fullest."

Seven of Nine suddenly caught Harry's eye. The beautiful woman stood alone, frowning. She had no ties on earth except an aunt whom she had seen only a few times these part years. But between them and the Alpha quadrant lay Borg space. He wondered if there was any way they could skip that part of the journey. And then of course there are the Vidiians, the Kazon, Species 8472 and the Hirogen... Harry groaned as he thought about it. And then there was that space-garbage aliens, what were they called again?

While he was lost in memory, a slight glow caught his eye. Behind Janeway stood a woman, dressed in white. She seemed to be about his own age, with long blonde hair and a delicate face. It was she that was softly glowing.

By now more people had noticed the young woman. Janeway and Chakotay also turn to look behind them. It took less than a minute for the woman to be the centre of attention in the mess hall.

Harry wondered who she was, but Janeway identified her:

"Susperia,' Janeway said in that cold, formal voice Harry knew all too well. She had often used that voice on Tom Paris.

The sporocystian-being smiled. It was not a very reassuring smile. "Captain Janeway," she purred. Though her body was young, her voice was that of an old woman; rough and deep.

"Why have you brought us here?" Janeway demanded. Chakotay stepped closer to her, assuming a stance much like Harry's and much like Tom's: the women in their lives might be headstrong and independent, but the men was still determined to protect them. This seemed to pass Susperia by, though.

"I have waited and planned this day for a very long time," the old woman's voice said.

"The Kazon," Harry interrupted, "you told them we were going to be here. Culluh was talking about you, wasn't he?"

"How very perceptive of the child," Susperia grumbled. "I promised the Kazon vengeance. The day they destroy you, I, too, will have my vengeance."

"But why? I explained to you we had nothing to do with the death of the Caretaker," Janeway tried to explain.

Susperia hit Janeway. The blow was enough to knock Janeway down. Anger swelled in Harry – anger he knew everyone in the mess hall shared. Libby's grip on his hand tightened as she too seethed with anger at the female caretaker. Before either Tuvok or Chakotay could reach her, the sporocystian being swelled to immensity. Chakotay helped Janeway up and pulled her to safety away from the immense bulk of Susperia.

"You are the reason my children died," her voice echoed through the mess hall. "You ruined everything. I will have my vengeance." The being started to dissolve, but left a final warning as she disappeared. "This is not over. I will always be watching."

Then they were alone once more. Everyone seemed stunned, looking around at one another. Then Tom drawled: "Wow, remind me never to mess with an angry female!" B'Elanna kicked her husband in the shin, but the worst of the tension was relieved for now.

Chakotay turned to look at his crew once more. This time he had Janeway safely tucked behind him, but Harry could see her slightly scowling at the Captain. Unwisely the Doctor stepped closer to inspect the Admiral's injuries, but she frowned and shook her head. Harry was relieved to see the Doctor getting the message the first time around.

"It seems we have unwittingly made another enemy," Chakotay told them. "But we have faced the female Caretaker before. We will not let her discourage us. Together we are stronger than anything the Delta quadrant can throw at us," he said.

Harry looked at his wife. She was still angry. But then again, so was he. Susperia had had no right – or reason – to bring them here. And it was she that had left the Ocampa to die. The final straw had just been her attack on one of them.

Perhaps Chakotay had been reading his mind, but in fact Harry suspected Chakotay merely saw reflections of his own thoughts in the faces of the rest of the crew. "Susperia had crossed a line, yes," their Captain told them. "But we will not get involved in any fight with her if we can help it. Instead we will survive. We will find our way back home and we will win this fight through our faith in the future. It is not she that shape it, after all, but we who shape our own destiny."

**The End**


	13. Epilogue

**Epilogue**

_Captain's log, stardate 57834.1: once more we are on our own in the Delta quadrant. But I refuse to call us 'lost' this time. We have found our way home once before, and we will do so again. Only this time we have a powerful enemy out there, planning our destruction. I cannot even start to imagine what must have happened to her to twist her mind so. Susperia comes to us in light, but she is now a being of the dark._

_Author's note:_ I'd like to thank everyone who reviewed my chapters. As you all know, there's nothing quite like opening your account and finding a review! Especially _sophiedoodle_: whenever I get something from you, I know I'm on the right track!

And now I'll take a moment to think about the curious English expression: _I'd like to thank_... Really! Why not just thank the people and be done with it! Anyway... I've posted the first chapter of the third story in this series, as well as the first chapter of a Stargate Atlantis story. I hope you enjoy them, and I hope you'll let me know if you did! DPB.


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